


Holmes and Watson

by elsiecarson



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV)
Genre: Depression, Drinking & Talking, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Religious Discussion, Sherlock Has Secrets, Victorian Attitudes, Victorian Sherlock Holmes, Worry, understanding mycroft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsiecarson/pseuds/elsiecarson
Summary: Holmes and Watson are in a relationship and Watson is terribly worried about what will happen when his mother comes for a visit and as usual Holmes is being no help whatsoever. Watson tries to explain to Holmes what the problem is and Holmes has to admit that perhaps discretion is the best course of action. Watson pleading with Holmes a lot in this one.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

I watch as Holmes slumps into his chair by the fire. He’s been in a black mood ever since the end of his last case. He always has moments where he’s down, but this one seems to be stronger than usual. We haven’t even had a row recently. That can sometimes send him to his dark place as well.

“Holmes, are you alright?” I ask tentatively. I’m always slightly worried about being able to ask Holmes questions when he’s like this. He sometimes reacts badly.

“Is this all there is, Watson? Is there nothing more to life than right here and right now?” Holmes asks in a melancholy tone as he twirls his pipe between his fingers.

“That depends on whether you’re an atheist or not really. There’s another step in life if you want there to be. Your life is only as strong as your connections to other people.” I say seriously. Holmes often questions his existence and the importance of everything during his dark times. I thought when we became lovers that perhaps this would all change and he wouldn’t be as down or lost any more. I’ve always been his anchor in the storm and his port of call when he needed to talk, which was rarely. At least he talks to me now and he’s more emotionally connected. His black moods come less often now, at least.

“Oh, Watson, you couch things so well. You allow me to form my own opinion, but somehow your own opinion still shines through. You know I’m not an atheist, Watson, we’ve been over this. I can’t confirm or deny the existence of a higher power, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.” Holmes gets up and pours himself a brandy. “And as my connections to other people are getting stronger, especially my connection to you, I think my life will be fine.” 

I glance at my pocket watch. It’s only two p.m. “Perhaps it’s a little early to start drinking, Holmes?” I ask tentatively.

“I’m sorry Watson. Did you want one?” Holmes asks extending the brandy decanter to me. He knows I don’t like him drinking this early in the day, but he doesn’t mind as long as someone, namely me, drinks with him.

“I suppose so. Promise me one thing will you, Holmes? Try and be particularly congenial when my mother comes to visit next week.” I ask as I pour myself a large brandy. My mother’s forthcoming visit is making me nervous. Holmes is not the easiest person to get along with and I don’t want him to spill the beans about our real relationship. My mother is quite conservative and she manages to weasel things out of me easily.

“I will be congeniality itself, Watson. Does your mother know about us?” Holmes asks as he sits on the arm of the couch, puts his arm around me and kisses my cheek.

“Don’t go overboard with the cheerfulness, Holmes, and no, my mother doesn’t know about us and I don’t know that I’ll tell her the whole truth considering that what we’re doing is illegal.” I say as I sip my brandy.

“Watson, you worry too much. If your mother really loves you she’ll accept what you’re doing” Holmes says honestly.

“That’s so far from the truth that I can’t even believe you even said that. My mother doesn’t even like the idea of me living with another man. If I ever told her we were lovers I think I’d kill her. She’s not exactly a forward thinking woman.” Watson says as he sighs heavily. He wants to be able to tell his mother the truth, but knows that could never be.

“I’m sorry, Watson. I wish your mother was more understanding. At least my brother, Mycroft, understands why we are the way we are and why we have the relationship we do. It’s awfully forward thinking of him really. I thought he would have a coronary when we told him the truth, but he was very kind to us. He loves you as a brother. Sometimes I wonder if he loves you more than he loves me. He certainly gets along with you better. Mrs. Hudson has been awfully congenial with our new relationship as well. I thought she would be shocked, but surprisingly she knew about us before we discovered our feelings ourselves. She’s lovely. We’re lucky to have her, Watson.” Holmes says as he takes a large sip of brandy from his glass.

“I never thought Mycroft would be the one to understand and be happy for us and I had my doubts about Mrs. Hudson too. Don’t worry about my mother. Her opinion will be what it is and neither of us can change that. I haven’t seen my mother for a long time and it will be nice.” Watson says looking out the window.


	2. How Do We Keep This a Secret?

“It will be difficult not to reveal our true relationship you know. Do you have a plan to keep this secret from your mother?” Holmes asks scrutinizing Watson.

“I have to have a plan? What about you? You’re a part of this too.” Watson says sulkily.

“It’s your mother that you don’t want to find out about us, not mine. I’ll go along with your plan, but it’s up to you to come up with one.” Holmes says cheekily. “You know your mother well enough to come up with a plan that will work to fool her.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can come up with in the next twenty-four hours. You know what the hardest thing about all of this is going to be don’t you?” Watson asks as he shifts in his chair.

“What’s that Watson?” Holmes asks innocently. He already knows what Watson’s going to say.

“Not being able to sleep in the same bed as you is going to be torture.” Watson says sadly.

“Good to know that that part of your plan is in place. I think your mother would think it’s suspicious if we both go into the same bedroom.” Holmes says chuckling.

“Oh, don’t tease. This is tough enough as it is without you adding to the stress of the situation.” Watson says huffily.

“I’m trying, very unsuccessfully, to cheer you up. You can’t spend the rest of your life in mortal fear of your mother finding out your secret. How long is she staying for anyways?” Holmes asks as he puts his feet up on the stool in front of the couch.

“Two weeks, which is much longer than I thought she’d stay. I just hope that she doesn’t try to play matchmaker again. She’s been wanting me to get married for a long time, but she hasn’t persuaded me yet.” Watson says smugly.

“There could be a good reason for that, Watson. Clearly you didn’t want a relationship with a woman. You know you can stop her matchmaking if you tell her the truth about us. She’ll know that her efforts are all in vain and she’ll stop.” Holmes says rationally.

“And I’ll kill her in the mean time, Holmes! That simply won’t do! I would never forgive myself if I contributed to my mother’s death. I must be tactful, just like you are with clients.” Watson says trying to remain calm in the face of Holmes’ teasing.

“I love you, Watson.” Holmes says leaning forward and kissing Watson on the lips. Watson is so full of compassion. He treasures these moments. They’re usually short in duration though.

“I love you too, Holmes. Promise me we’ll get through this together. If this relationship ends because of my mother’s visit I will be crushed. Just hold on for the next little while and the worst should be over. She’s only really bad for the first four days or so.” Watson says trying to reassure Holmes.

“I will do my best not to annoy your mother and I promise not to break up with you because of your mother’s behaviour. It will take a lot more to get rid of me than your mother. I promise not to judge you based upon your mother’s behaviour. Trust me when I say that if you’d met my parents first you would never have guessed that I was their son. You are your own person, Watson, and for that I am eternally grateful. We must show solidarity in the face of your mother’s onslaught when she comes to visit.” Holmes says as Mrs Hudson enters the room.


	3. Talking to Mrs. Hudson

“I don’t mean to interrupt gentlemen, but it is lunch time and I was wondering if you were ready for your meal.” Mrs Hudson asks gently. She hates to interrupt the two gentlemen she’s grown to love like her own sons.

“Thank you, Mrs Hudson, lunch would be lovely. Also, I should let you know that my mother is coming for a visit next week. She’s a cantankerous woman in general, so please, don’t mind her behaviour and habits.” Watson says apologetically.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Dr. Watson. It will be nice for you to see your mother again.” Mrs Hudson says warily.

“That’s one opinion, Mrs Hudson. Another opinion is that this will be a terrible imposition and that my mother will be bothersome. We don’t exactly see eye to eye on many things.” Watson says grumpily.

“What do you think, Mr Holmes?” Mrs Hudson asks.

“I think family is still family no matter how annoying they may be. I am proof of that for Mycroft. Watson needs to learn not to take things so personally. He’s a grown man and his mother can’t control him anymore.” Holmes says sensibly.

“She can make me feel awfully guilty though, Holmes.” Watson says in a perturbed tone.

“She only makes you feel guilty because you allow her to, Watson. You’re not a school boy anymore and you can’t be scolded like one. Be strong and firm with her. It will make you feel better.” Holmes says as he finishes his brandy.

“That’s what you think.” Watson mumbles grumpily. “You don’t get along with your family though.”

Holmes smiles when he catches what Watson is saying. “I get along with the people that matter the most to me and that doesn’t happen to be my family particularly. I can be annoying and I have particularly uncouth habits, but my friends seem to tolerate my habits more than my family.” Holmes explains to Watson.

“I suppose I should feel privileged. We’ll just have to tolerate my mother’s visit. I dread her coming here though. She’ll be relentless.” Watson says sadly.

“That’s a mother’s job, Watson. All mothers are relentless. Relentlessness also makes them protective. We’ll just have to be very grown-up about your mother’s visit despite your great dislike for the woman who gave you life.” Holmes says matter-of-factly.

“That’s rich coming from you. You don’t appreciate your family at all. I’m surprised your brother still speaks to you. You’re cantankerous enough that even the detectives at Scotland Yard don’t like you always.” Watson says teasing his lover.


	4. Holmes is Actually Eating

“Lunch is served, gentlemen.” Mrs Hudson says when she re-enters the upstairs rooms.

“It smells wonderful, Mrs Hudson.” Watson says taking a deep breath. He can smell lovely, hot split pea soup and fresh bread.

“I thought since it’s so cold outside you could use a hearty meal. I hope you enjoy.” Mrs Hudson says as she sets everything out.

The two gentlemen deposit themselves in their chairs at the table. Even Holmes who is not a big eater is eager to dive into his meal. He loves pea soup. It reminds him of his mother. “Mrs Hudson, does this pea soup have ham in it?” Holmes asks eyeing his soup.

“It does as a matter of fact, Mr Holmes. Is that alright?” Mrs Hudson asks concerned about the fact that Mr Holmes may not like his lunch.

“That’s perfect, Mrs Hudson. One cannot have pea soup without ham. It’s just simply not the same at all.” Holmes says as he tears off a large chunk of warm bread and spreads butter on it.

Mrs Hudson breathes a sigh of relief as she leaves the room. Mr Holmes is so picky about his food that she despairs about him eating anything at all.


	5. John's Mother Arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I named John's mother something that probably isn't very Victorian. Feels like it fits though.

The next week passes far too quickly for Watson and soon the day his mother is arriving is upon him. Even Holmes who is normally calm in all situations seems flustered. Watson’s hands shake as he tries to tie his tie. Holmes sighs and steps in behind him. “Let me,” he whispers gently, “or you’ll never get to the train station on time.”

“Thank you, Sherlock. I can’t believe that I’m so nervous. Have you moved everything out of my room that you might need for the next two weeks?” John asks as he looks in the mirror and watches Sherlock tie his tie quickly and gracefully and thankfully perfectly straight.

“Yes, I’ve collected all my essentials. Go pick your mother up and come back to me soon. Your nervousness hasn’t helped me at all. Now get going or your visit will start off on the wrong foot. Before you go though, does your mother know what I do for a living?” Sherlock asks passing John his coat and hat and brushing the hair back from his forehead.

“She knows you’re a detective, but I didn’t tell her about how dangerous things can get, so don’t you go bringing it up.” John says sternly.

“Right, don’t go telling your mother how much trouble her little Johnny gets into. I get that. There are certain things I would never tell my parents if they were still alive.” Sherlock says honestly.

“I also didn’t say anything to her about the drugs and I hope you will refrain from using them whilst mother is here.” John says firmly.

“Of course not, John. Now go before your mother bats you round the ears for being late.” Sherlock says kissing John’s cheek.

John sighs and walks out of the room reluctantly. His bliss will soon be tainted by his mother’s presence and he can just see Sherlock’s mood getting darker by the day with his mother visiting. He hails a hansom cab outside 221B Baker Street and is off to the station quickly. His thoughts dwell on Sherlock and how much this visit could strain their relationship. He makes a promise to spend at least fifteen minutes a day alone with Sherlock to check in with him and make sure he’s okay. John alights from the cab when he reaches the station and asks the cabbie to wait for him. He quickly locates his mother and carries her trunk to the cab. “221B Baker Street,” John directs the cabbie as he helps his mother into the cab. Despite her age his mother isn’t a fragile woman.

“How is your roommate?” John’s mother asks cordially. She doesn’t want to delve too deeply into anything so soon in the visit.

“He’s fine. He’s not on a case right now, so the flat is clean. Fine with him is a relative term, but we get along well most of the time.” John says surprised that his mother asked at all.

“You look tired, Johnny.” His mother comments sadly.

“I came down with a bad cold a while ago and I couldn’t sleep. I haven’t quite recovered yet. Mrs Hudson made up the spare bedroom for you. I hope you’ll be happy there.” John says sweetly.

“Who’s Mrs Hudson?” John’s mother, Sylvia, asks. Her son doesn’t write that often and consequently she doesn’t know a lot about his current life.

“Mrs Hudson is our housekeeper, our cook and our landlady. While we’re talking about home I should fill you in on a couple of things. My roommate loathes being called by his first name, so for pity’s sake don’t. Mrs Hudson may yell at us on occasion. We’re messy house guests most of the time. Don’t contradict her it makes things worse. Try not to comment on Holmes’ chemistry experiments when he’s not on a case that keeps him going. Try not to question him too much. He’s brilliant and most of the time he knows what he’s talking about. He doesn’t like being questioned. It makes him moody.” John explains to his mother.

“He sounds like a very difficult person to live with. How do you deal with him?” Sylvia asks as she looks pointedly at her son.

John looks out the window of the cab for a moment. He gets ill if he has to travel in a moving vehicle for too long. He smiles to himself because he knows his mother is fishing for information and that she’ll never know the truth. John turns back to his mother. “I’ve been sharing rooms with him for three years. I’ve learned when and when not to interrupt him. We’ve come to an understanding about personal space and I’ve learned to read him quite well.” John says remaining vague about everything.

“Do you still go out on cases with him?” Sylvia asks with concern in her voice. John is her only son and she hopes he isn’t doing anything too dangerous.

“Yes, I do. His cases are fascinating and I love watching how he figures things out, even though he usually has to re-explain things to me when everything is over. He is a master at discovering what people are hiding. It’s quite interesting really. When I first met Holmes I thought he was crazy, but really he’s just a quirky person.” John says trying to explain to his mother yet again.

“You do insist on dangerous careers, don’t you?” Sylvia asks in a concerned tone.

“I didn’t exactly choose this career. It was sort of thrust upon me when I moved into Baker Street. It’s exciting. I like seeing if Holmes and I can work these mysteries out. They’re ones even Scotland Yard can’t solve. It’s exciting. You needn’t worry about me. I’m hardly ever in danger on a case.” John says lying through his teeth.

“We’ll see what your roommate says about that. Somehow I think you’re trying to shield me from the truth about all of this.” Sylvia says suspiciously.

John breathes a sigh of relief when he remembers he’s already told Holmes not to mention the dangerous cases they’ve been on. The cab stops in front of 221B Baker Street and John jumps down from the carriage and then helps his mother out. He grabs her trunk and sets it down on the stoop as he reaches for his key. He throws the front door open and allows his mother to go in ahead of him. “Go up two flights of stairs and then take a left turn, mother. That’s where your room is.” John says as he hauls the heavy trunk up with him.


	6. Holmes Tries to Be Polite

Sherlock pokes his head out of the joint sitting and living rooms upstairs and sees John struggling with the trunk. “Good grief Watson let me help you with that. You shouldn’t be carrying that heavy trunk by yourself with your bad leg. Give me one end.”

“Thank you ever so much Holmes. I don’t see why the trunk should be so heavy. She’s only here for two weeks.” John says taking a deep breath.

“If she’s anything like the women I’ve known she packs more than she actually needs. Men, on the other hand pack less than they need and then complain that their trip is ruined because they’ve forgotten that one thing.” Holmes smiles as they put the trunk in Sylvia’s room.

Sylvia immediately turns her beady eyes on the tall lanky gentleman who helped her son bring her trunk in. “I suppose you are Mr Sherlock Holmes. I am Sylvia Watson.”

“A pleasure to meet you, madam.” Holmes says using his best manners and bending over and kissing the proffered hand. “Watson, you and your mother should come upstairs. I’ve just ordered tea from Mrs Hudson so I’m sure she’ll be up shortly.”

John smiles at Sherlock over the top of his mother’s head. This is exactly how he wanted Sherlock to present himself to his mother. The trio troop upstairs to the sitting room. “Holmes, please tell me you’ve managed to keep this room tidy in the hour I’ve been gone.” John says a silent prayer to a higher power.

“Of course I have, Watson. You told me your mother was coming today and so I tried very hard to keep it clean. Besides, I didn’t have any clients in the time you were gone, so I didn’t have anything I needed to find.” Holmes says cordially. 

John tries not to smirk at Sherlock’s words. His statement is far from the truth he would normally speak that John can hardly believe it. Sherlock doesn’t care a jot if the room is messy when they have company normally. John knows Sherlock’ doing this to try and please him.


End file.
